Ex-Celtic star: Patrick Roberts is better than £49m Raheem Sterling and will return to Man City

Patrick Roberts is coming to the end of a very productive 18-month loan spell at Celtic, in which he has won three major Scottish trophies, with a fourth possibly to follow when the Hoops meet Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup Final on Saturday, 27 May.

The big question now is what next for the 20-year-old winger? A recent report by a well-known Celtic journalist suggested that the club are willing to break their transfer record with a £6.8 million bid for the player.

While that is a large sum by Scottish standards, it is little in the cash-soaked Premier League and City may want to hold on to him. And if the views of former Celtic player and assistant John Collins are accurate, Roberts could soon be worth far more than a mere £6.8 million.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Collins doesn’t see a future for the England under-20 international at Celtic Park.

“I think he’ll go back to Manchester City,” said Collins.

“I think he’s better than Raheem Sterling. Sterling cost £50 million and he [Roberts] scores goals and is more creative than him. I think he’s got the quality.

“I’d love him to stay at Celtic and entertain the Celtic fans but I think he’ll return.”

It’s possibly an exaggeration to say he is better than Raheem Sterling, a player with 7 goals and 6 assists in the Premier League this season, but given a chance in the English top-flight, who knows what Roberts could produce?

Roberts is expected to be part of Manchester City’s pre-season tour of America, where he will be given the opportunity to impress Pep Guardiola. After that, we should learn more about what the immediate future holds for the youngster.